This book is used as one of the Text books for I course on U. S. Military history that I am taking at collage and unlike most text books is an interesting and enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Military history, I would read it even if I didn't have to for class.

I took Maslowski's history class about the U.S. military after 1917 at the University of Nebraska in 2001. "For the Common Defense" was one of the required readings for his class. If you have the chance to take his class, do it, it's informative and entertaining. When most history books just look at the battle statistics and "who did what," Maslowski and Millet's book goes further to illustrate the influence that politicians had on the military establishment. Most students sell their books back to the bookstore when they are done with the class--I decided to keep mine.

This book has been selected by HQDA for their reading list! Enjoy!